Working the Green Mile
by RosesandThorns666
Summary: Maria Lomax has a new job. She's a warden on the Green Mile, and as she works there she learns so much more than she ever imagined, but goes through so many other emotions in the process. Please R&R! Rated M for language and content.
1. Welcome to the Mile

**Summary: **Maria Lomax has a new job. She's a warden on the Green Mile, and as she works there she learns so much more than she ever imagined, but goes through so many other emotions in the process. Please R&R!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything associated with _The Green Mile_. I only own my OC.

**A/N: **Okay, I'm nervous about this one because I've never touched on anything like this, but I love the movie, and I wanted to write a fic!

Hope you enjoy!

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Working the Green Mile

**~Chapter One: Welcome to the Mile~ **

Maria's dark curls glistened in the sunlight as the golden orb beat down on her, the curls gently brushing against her face as she walked along side Brutus Howell, the guy so tall she'd been terrified of him at first. The year was 1935 and the pair made their way towards E Block, or death row. They called it the Green Mile. It seemed so much nicer, and Maria had no idea what to expect. She'd trained for this though, to expect the unexpected, how to handle out of control prisoners, how to handle paperwork and other things, but the executions were something she'd couldn't be prepared for until she saw them. That, she wasn't looking forward to.

"You're nervous aren't you?" Brutus asked, Maria letting out a soft chuckle as they neared the building.

"Somewhat." She replied, "You can have all the training in the world, but my God, the nerves they can't ever prepare you for."

"Yeah, but you'll be fine." He assured her, "We'll look after you in here."

Maria smiled weakly and followed him up the steps, knowing that a lot of the prisoners who could see her in other blocks were watching her, leering at her. It made her feel sick. At least she'd be away from their prying eyes soon.

"Paul?" Brutus asked, another man making his way over to him, "This is our new warden, Maria Lomax, Maria, this is Paul Edgecomb."

Paul held his hand out and Maria took it firmly, shaking his hand and smiling.

"Nice to have you with us, Maria. Let me take you through." Paul said, "You can meet Harry and Dean while we're at it...and Percy."

Oh, God...Percy. He was enough to make people not want to work on the Mile, because simply the guy was just so vile.

"Harry?" Paul began, an older man standing from the desk in the office Paul had led her to, "This is Maria Lomax, she's our new warden."

Harry smiled and held out his hand, Maria taking it and greeting him.

"Maria, this is Harry Terwilliger." Paul finished.

"Nice strong handshake." Harry said with a smile, "That's what I like."

"Good." Maria replied with a grin, putting her bag where she was told to in the office before being stopped by a man an inch taller than her with dark hair and a face she couldn't help but want to slap.

"Ah, Percy...this is Maria Lomax, our new warden." Paul said, "Maria, this is Percy Wetmore."

"She's a woman." Percy stated, Maria fighting back a laugh.

Paul smirked and raised his eyebrows.

"Oh, you noticed?" He asked, Maria finding herself being studied carefully by Percy, not liking the way he was looking at her, "She may be a woman, Percy, but it doesn't mean she won't be good at this job."

"Ah, well, she can't be cryin' in the executions or nothin' like that." Percy said, Paul rolling his eyes at how stupid and pathetic the man sounded.

"And she won't be." He assured the younger man, "She'll be just fine, Percy, don't you worry about that. Now, if you'll excuse us, there's someone else for Maria to meet."

Percy glared as Paul pushed past him, Maria following to the back room.

"This is Ol' Sparky." Paul said, "Where we...well..."

Maria nodded, spotting a young blonde man who was cleaning the chair itself. She felt for anyone who had to sit in that chair, even if they'd comitted crimes that were enough to make you sick. It was awful for them to die in front of people. Death, however, particularly for murderers perhaps was the ultimate punishment, yet their deaths could be dignified and not require a goddamn audience.

"Dean," Paul began, the young man looking up, "This is Maria Lomax, our new warden. Maria, this is Dean Stanton."

Dean and Maria shook hands, eyes meeting in a gentle gaze before Paul chuckled to himself.

"We got a prisoner coming in tomorrow so could we get that end cell cleaned?" He asked, "Dean, do you wanna take Maria down and you can both get started there?"

"Sure." Dean replied, "But do our resident inmates know she's here?"

"Good God, they don't!" Paul exclaimed, "Come on, Maria, I'd best introduce you...so they don't get a shock and you don't either."

They walked to the cells, Paul turning to Maria and stopping her for a second.

"Now, Del and Arlen are good mannered men, however you get the occasional few who aren't," Paul told her, "Plus they're all dangerous, so if you ever have to step in a cell with them, just keep your distance, even if you have to get them something, okay? That rule applies to everyone, but you need to be careful...well..."

"Because I'm a woman." Maria finished, smiling at the soft blush that spread across Paul's cheeks, "That's fine. Better safe than sorry, huh?"

Paul smiled and they headed towards the first cell.

"This is Arlen Bitterbuck," He began, the man looking over at her from his bed, "Arlen, this is Miss Lomax. She's a new warden here."

Arlen nodded at Maria who smiled and nodded back, Paul smiling proudly at Arlen before taking Maria to the next cell.

"And this is Eduard Delacroix, or as we call him, Del." Paul said, the small man smiling and moving towards the cell door, "Del, this is Miss Lomax."

"She's beautiful, Boss Edgecomb." He breathed, Maria unsure of what to make of the remark, "Hello, Boss Lomax."

"Hey, Del." Maria replied, seeing Dean coming around the corner in his shirt and tie, sleeves rolled up with two buckets of water and a sponge in each.

"Right, I'll let you two get started." Paul sighed, leaving Maria to follow Dean who chuckled at her.

"I'd take your hat and jacket off," He said, "It's hot work in here."

Maria had a tie like the others and within ten minutes, she was rolling up her sleeves and loosening it.

"Told you." Dean laughed softly, "So, what's a girl like you working here in a prison for, huh? Especially on the Mile..."

"The pay's good and the job's interesting." Maria replied, "I've gotta pay for special medicines for my mother, and also pay for the home we live in, and the pay's good enough so..."

"I'm sorry to hear your mother's sick." Dean said, Maria smiling softly in response.

"Thank you." Maria said, "But, hopefully the condition will clear up soon. It's nothing major but it requires special medication."

"You'll need special medication after working with Percy for a week." Dean whispered, Maria giggling in response as they continued to clean the cell.

She liked Dean. He was nice and didn't judge her for her gender (unlike Percy) and he was really welcoming. The others were too, and she was sure that she'd have a wonderful experience on the Mile. Maria had no idea though that she would meet someone the next day who would change her life forever.

-TBC-

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**Thanks for reading so far! Hope you enjoyed!**

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	2. John Coffey

**Summary: **Maria Lomax has a new job. She's a warden on the Green Mile, and as she works there she learns so much more than she ever imagined, but goes through so many other emotions in the process. Please R&R!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything associated with _The Green Mile_. I only own my OC.

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Working the Green Mile

**~Chapter Two: John Coffey~ **

Dean unlocked the bottom cell, returning as the phone began to ring, only to almost bump into Maria.

"Sorry..." He muttered, "You okay?"

"Yeah, sorry." Maria replied, "Almost walked right into you."

Brutus moved over to the bathroom door and knocked on it, looking uncomfortable as he did. Maria put her hat on, straightening herself down before noticing Dean watching her.

"Paul? Prisoner..." Brutus said, raising an eyebrow at Dean and Maria who checked her watch.

"Christ, give me a minute!" came Paul's reply, Dean shaking his head which caused Maria to suppress a giggle.

She couldn't help but find that cute and he caught her smirking, a lopsided grin crossing his lips for a moment before she bit hers and looked to the floor. A little childish, but she was nervous as hell, especially since this prisoner could be anything from drugged up to violent.

"You alright?" Brutus asked Paul who was grunting on the other side of the door.

The poor guy wasn't well. It was kind of evident by the pained sounds coming from the bathroom.

"For a man pissin' razorblades, yeah." Paul called back, Maria grimacing at the words.

Maria didn't have anything against cursing, but the poor man sounded like he was hurting pretty bad. Maria was a tomboy of sorts, behaving at times like a man rather than a lady, but she'd grown up in an almost all male household. With she and her mother being the only women in a house of eight, it was understandable that she'd grown up to be more masculine. She was at the younger end of the family, two boys after her and three before, then her father too. Her father and brothers had been to war, luckily coming back unscathed, followed by the birth of her younger brothers. She was five when the war ended, seventeen years on still thankful for the return of her brothers.

"You should've too the day off," Brutus said, snapping Maria out of her thoughts, "Gone to see the doctor."

Paul dabbed his face with a handkerchief and turned to his friend.

"With a new arrival? You know better." Paul said, "Besides...it's not as bad as it was...I think it's clearin' up."

Putting his hat on, he looked at Brutal's watch, sighing and shaking his head.

"Let's look alive, Dean. Maria."

"Yes, sir." Both of them replied, Brutus moving to the door while Maria took a position halfway down the cell block, Dean standing near the desk.

She looked to him for reassurance and he nodded softly, looking to Paul who nodded at Maria too.

"Damn," Brutus breathed as he watched the car roll in, "Theyre riding on that axle..."

He watched Percy climb out and strut to the back like he owned the world, as usual, the arrogant little prick. He'd even had a go at insulting Maria on her first day, which pissed him off no end. Percy opened the back, two guards climbing out.

"What'd they do?" Brutus asked, looking to Dean, "They bust the springs?"

Then the prisoner emerged from the back, the car bouncing back to it's original state and leaving the larger officer in absolute shock. But Maria got a shock when she heard yelling coming from Percy. She was trying to make out what he was yelling and her outstanding ears picked it up.

_"Dead man! Dead man walking!" _He was yelling, _"We got a dead man walking here!" _

"Jesus please us," Paul began, "What is he yellin' about?"

Brutus emerged from the doorway, Dean looking to see what the issue was while Maria gazed up at the large man, concerned greatly by his expression.

"Paul..." He began, "You might wanna reconsider getting in the cell with this guy. He's enormous..."

Paul smirked.

"Can't be bigger than you."

Brutus let out a breath and smirked at Dean who looked to Maria, finding her smiling too. The largest member of the group headed to the door and unlocked it, opening it to reveal Percy, still shouting like an imbecile and dragging this huge man through, who was definitely twice the size of Dean. Dean was only a few inches taller than Maria at the most and the guy terrified her, but she tried not to show her fear. If she was honest, the giant looked like he couldn't hurt a fly, but as she knew only too well, looks can be very deceiving. Even Paul looked concerned which she couldn't help but be worried about.

She looked to Dean again who smiled weakly at her, the young woman moving instinctively closer to him as they followed the shouting idiot and the prisoner down the block.

"Percy." Paul warned, finally shutting the little shit up before someone else did, "That's enough."

The prisoner had a few inches on Brutus, the man looking completely confused as he looked up at the new inmate. Maria and Dean edged closer, Harry following and passing them. No-one envied Paul for having to get in the cell with the guy, that's for sure.

"Am I gonna have any trouble with you, big boy?" He asked, not receiving any response from the dark skinned man who wore a bright yellow t-shirt and denim dungarees with no shoes on, "Can you talk?"

"Yes, sir, boss." The man replied, "I can talk."

Paul, who held that clipboard tightly in his hand stepped into the cell, the others waiting for the burly man to follow him. The prisoner looked scared to death, Maria noticed, not like a cold-blooded killer, although some would surely have some remorse in them, or was that her being naïve? Suddenly, Percy hit the large man with his baton, disgusting everyone who saw it.

"Move your ass," He said, "Let's go...come on."

The smirk that was plastered over his face was one Maria was dying to knock off, and the man stepped inside while Dean grabbed her wrist and squeezed before releasing her, the gesture telling her to calm herself down.

"Percy..." Paul began, knowing that the young man would cause some issues here, "They're moving house in the infirmary. Why don't you go see if they could use some help?"

"Nah," Percy replied, tapping his baton in his hand, "They got all the men they need."

Okay, the little piece of crap wasn't taking the hint, so Paul tried again.

"Why don't you just make sure?" He asked, looking from the tall man to Percy.

"Uh-uh." Percy said, shaking his head and about to protest before being interrupted by Paul.

"I don't care where you go, Percy," Paul told him, "Just as long as it's not here at this very moment."

Percy huffed out a small laugh.

"Alright." He said, turning and walking straight into Brutus who smirked before he continued to walk away, seeing Del stood by the bars of his cell, chuckling at him.

The baton made contact with his fingers, the sound of breaking bones sickening to Maria as she turned and watched Del almost crying in pain.

"God, you bust my finger!" Del cried.

"I wiped that grin off your face, didn't I?" Percy sneered, Paul losing his patience.

"Goddamnit, Percy, get the hell off my block!" He snapped, Percy finally leaving before he reassured Del, "We'll get that looked at, Del, in the meantime, just stay quiet."

"Yeah..." Del replied in an almost sob, Maria feeling more hatred towards Percy as the minutes passed by.

She was brought up never to hate but good Lord, did she hate Percy. She actually didn't know any of the guys who didn't. Paul looked back up at the large man and Maria turned her attention back to the prisoner too, trying to keep calm as nerves flooded her system.

"I let Harry take those chains off you," Paul began, "You gonna be nice?"

The prisoner nodded, Harry stepping forward if a little timidly and removing the chains, the prisoner barely making a movement.

"Your name is John Coffey." Paul stated.

"Yes, sir, boss," John replied, "Like the drink, only not spelt the same."

There was a childlike innocence in those words and it was clear to everyone that the man might not be the brightest button in the box.

"You can spell, can you?" Paul asked, Maria feeling a little annoyed at the sarcasm in his tone, but then again, he knew what he was doing.

"Just my name, boss." John answered, beginning to spell his name.

"My name is Paul Edgecomb." Paul interrupted, "If I'm not here, you can ask for Mr Terwilliger, Mr Howell, Mr Stanton, these gentlemen right there."

John looked, spotting the young woman who stood with them.

"Or Miss Lomax." Paul finished, "Questions?"

"Do you leave the light on after bedtime?"

Time stopped for a moment and everyone gave each other confused looks, Maria noticing a second round of childlike innocence, wondering exactly what someone like this guy had done to end up on the Mile.

"'Cause I get a little scared in the dark sometime..." the huge man admitted, "If it's a strange...place..."

"It stays pretty bright around here all night long," Paul assured him, "We always keep a few lights burnin' in the corridor."

"The corridor?" John asked.

"Right out there." Paul replied, not expecting the man to hold his hand out.

This could turn dangerous, they all knew and they prepared themselves to attack him should things turn rough, but Paul shook his head, taking the man's hand and shaking it, nodding at him before stepping out of the cell.

"You can sit." He told John, the huge man sitting on the bed while Harry and Dean locked the door.

As Maria turned to walk away, Dean took her arm, noticing how pale she looked.

"You okay?" He asked, earning a gentle nod as they set off up the corridor slowly.

Paul joined them.

"Dean, take Delacroix to the infirmary, see if those fingers are broken." He instructed.

"Yes, sir." Dean replied, everyone entering the office while Dean searched for the card.

"Of course they're broken!" Brutus said, "I heard the damn bones crack."

"You hear what he was yelling when we brought the big dummy in?" Harry asked, Paul sitting and sighing while Maria stood against the wall.

"How could I miss it, Harry?" Paul asked, "The whole prison heard."

"Goddamn Percy." Brutus said, "How you doin', Maria?"

"I'm okay, thanks." Maria replied, taking a drink of water and sighing.

She was okay _now_, but hadn't been through that process. It was nerve-wracking, watching somebody get so close to a possible murderer or rapist.

"You'll have to answer for sending Percy off the Mile." Brutus said, Paul nodding in response.

"I'll chew that food when I have to." He said, "Right now I wanna hear about this new inmate, aside from how big he is, okay?"

Brutus smirked.

"Monstrous big," He laughed, "Damn."

"Aww, he seems meek enough," Dean said, "He retarded, you figure?"

"Please don't use that word." Maria said, shocking everyone, "It's not nice."

Everyone looked at her for a moment before she bit back tears and headed out of the office.

"Maria?" Paul asked.

"I need some air." She replied, unlocking the door and heading out before locking it again.

She made her way down the stairs, the word playing over and over and over in her head. That's what people called her baby brother. He had a condition she couldn't pronounce and needed constant care, which is why she had to buy special medicines. Not just for her mother, but for him too, although she kept that part a secret. Her mother was getting sick from the tire of watching over him every day. He was sixteen with the mind of a three or four year old, and to watch him suffer the way he did broke her heart. She just hoped no-one would come and see her in tears, because that would be bad enough never mind having to tell them the whole tale.

She took a deep breath. Dean hadn't meant to upset her, she knew that, but she hated that word more than anything. She just hoped they'd all understand.

-TBC-


	3. Grown Men Outsmarted by a Mouse

**Summary: **Maria Lomax has a new job. She's a warden on the Green Mile, and as she works there she learns so much more than she ever imagined, but goes through so many other emotions in the process. Please R&R!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything associated with The Green Mile. I only own my OC.

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**Working the Green Mile **

**~Chapter Three: Grown Men Outsmarted by a Mouse~**

"You alright?" Paul asked as Maria re-entered the block, clearly having been crying as her eyes were red and puffy.

"Yeah..." She replied, "Fine."

"You wanna talk about anything?" Paul asked, "Any issues that might concern you...about a certain word that was used earlier, maybe?"

"No..." Maria replied, "It's okay..."

"Maria, if there's something that we say that upsets you, it's better if you tell us why so that we don't do it again."

"My baby brother...he's sixteen," She began, sighing shakily as tears formed in her eyes straight away, "He's got the mentality of a three year old...and it's just...he suffers and people call him that word all the time."

Paul sighed and shook his head, realising how much one word could upset someone else.

"Ah, Christ..."

"I know Dean didn't intend it to...but it still hurt..." She explained, "He needs constant care from my mother and the strain's making her ill...which is why I buy medicine for both of them."

"I'll let the others know, huh?" Paul said, "Stop it happening again."

He patted her back gently and she grabbed his wrist.

"Please don't let Dean feel bad for it..." She said, "He wasn't to know."

Paul nodded and left her, while she found herself some files, looking through them and sorting them when she heard a gentle voice.

"Boss Lomax?"

"I'll be with you in a second, John." She replied, wiping her eyes and making her way down the Mile, "What can I do for you?"

"Your brother's sick?" He asked, Maria nodding and swallowing past the lump in her throat.

"We're not discussing this now, John," She said softly, "Do you actually need anything?"

"Can I have some water please, Boss Lomax?" John asked, earning a sweet smile from the new guard.

"Yes, I'll be one second." She replied, heading for a drink when she stopped at the office door.

_"Damn...I had no idea she felt that way..."_ She heard Dean say, biting her lip at how guilty his voice sounded, _"Great...I've gone and upset her now."_

_"She told me not to let you feel bad, Dean."_ Paul told him, _"You weren't to know."_

There was silence for a moment and Maria opened on the door, entering the office to see Dean gazing at her with apologetic eyes.

"I'm so sorry," He said quietly, "I had no idea..."

"No, it's okay," Maria replied, "Honestly, you weren't to know, alright?"

Dean nodded and she smiled, patting his shoulder as she grabbed a drink.

"Would you just come with me while I give this to John?" She asked, "I know he seems meek, but apparently he did rape and murder two little girls...and I just..."

"Yeah, sure." Dean said with a smile, the colour flooding back to his face with knowing that she wasn't upset with him.

They walked down the Mile and to John's cell, the large man smiling at the sound of Maria's shoes on the green floor. He sat up when he saw her, smiling as Dean unlocked the door and she passed him the drink.

"Thanks, Boss Lomax." He said softly, taking the drink and smiling gratefully as Dean closed the door and locked it again.

"You're welcome, John." She replied, turning with Dean and heading back up the corridor.

She'd built a good relationship with the other wardens and the inmates, all of them respecting her (except for Percy who'd already tried to make a fool out of her once that day) and treating her well. Already, even though this was merely her second day, she knew a lot about everyone and everyone knew a fair bit about her. She enjoyed the company and could easily get used to it, spending time with everyone but Percy of course. But then another little soul was about to enter her life who would change someone else's final days for the better.

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The following night, she and Brutus were doing some paperwork when he suddenly started chuckling, causing her to look up if a little puzzled.

"Brutal?" She asked, using the nickname Brutus loved so much, "What's so funny?"

He pointed to the floor and there sat a little mouse who turned and ran back towards the padded cell at the end of the block, both Brutus and Maria standing to watch it again.

"Paul," Brutus called in a hushed voice, "Dean."

The two of them emerged from Ol' Sparky's room, looking at the two guards who were grinning.

"Yeah?" Paul asked.

"C'mere..." Maria whispered, her eyes sparkling in the dim light of the prison.

Paul and Dean made their way forward, Maria grinning and looking up at Brutus as he spoke.

"The legislature loosened up the purse strings enough to hire on yet another new guard." He said, Paul and Dean completely confused.

They stood by them, Dean furrowing his brow and looking at Paul, then back to Maria and Brutus, Maria grinning like an idiot as she watched the padded cell door.

"Look again." She said, the two men turning to watch, "He's right...there..."

She pointed and under the padded cell door came the little brown mouse, scurrying up the Mile without a care.

"It ain't normal for a mouse to come up on people this way..." Dean said, his lip twitching a little as he spoke, "Maybe it's rabid."

"Oh, my Christ." Brutus said.

"Holy cow." Maria said at the same time.

"It could be." Paul added, all of them mocking Dean jokingly.

"Oh, the big mouse expert!" Brutus said, "The Mouse Man!"

Dean rolled his eyes at the childish behaviour and Brutus nudged him.

"You see him foaming at the mouth Mouse Man?" He asked.

"I don't see its mouth at all." Dean replied, Brutus chuckling before turning to the table and grabbing a cracker, "Oh, Brutal, no! We'll be hip-deep in mice around here!"

"I just wanna see what he'll do," Brutus interrupted, "In the interest of science, like."

"It's the interest of science, Dean." Maria added, "It's all for the good of science."

Dean sighed and rolled his eyes again, Brutus bending down and throwing the little bit of cracker he broke of, the tiny mouse grabbing it and eating it before squeaking and running to the restraint room. Arlen watched with fascination, as did the others, catching Maria's eye who cracked a grin at him, the inmate smiling back. Dean brought his hand up in exasperation, slapping it back against his thigh and turning to Paul.

"He's in the damn restraint room." He said, "And you just know he's chewing the padding out of the walls, making himself a nice little nest."

Brutus and Paul shared looks while Maria put an arm around Dean jokingly, sniffling and wiping her eye mockingly as he showed his distaste.

"Alright," Paul muttered, "Lets go get the damn mouse."

"You boys enjoy that," Maria replied, "I'm taking a break."

And with that, Maria sat on the desk, drinking her water and eating some of the crackers on the plate beside her. She watched those men sweat it out and remove all the furniture from the restraint room, Dean armed with a broom should the mouse pass him, and by the end of it there was no mouse in sight. But that wasn't what made her laugh. She heard Brutus's annoyance as he stated the hilarious truth.

"Three grown men...outsmarted by a mouse."

Maria had never laughed so hard in her life.

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A few days later, as Maria sat looking through some files in the office, Percy's whistling travelled along the mile. The mouse, however, was making his way up the mile towards Percy, who apparently had a distaste for rodents. Suddenly, there was a huge commotion and Maria ran out to see Percy trying to batter the little thing to death.

"Percy!" She yelled, going to grab the man but being pulled back by Brutus.

"Leave him!" He said, standing in front of the girl before Percy hit her with the baton or something.

Percy opened the restraint room door and started moving the furniture.

"Percy, we already tried that..." Brutus said.

"Wha'?" Percy asked, already tired, "What did you say?"

"I said..." Brutus began, being cut off by looks from Paul and Maria begging him not to stop him, "Uh...knock yourself out. Hope you nail the bastard."

And Percy practically did knock himself out. He hauled the last of the equipment in the room out, completely exhausted. He stepped back in and looked around, unable to believe that there was no mouse cowering in the corner. The others approached, keeping straight faces, navigating around the furniture in the corridor.

"Gosh. Ain't in there, huh?" Brutus said, trying his best to keep his face straight, "Don't that beat the mousie band?"

Maria fought her smirk the best she could, watching Percy as he scanned the restraint room. They looked to Paul, waiting for him to speak.

"Percy." He began, "You want to think about what you were doing just now."

Percy turned to him, glaring at him.

"I was trying to get the mouse." He said, "You blind?"

Maria glared at him when he waggled his eyebrows at her, Harry stepping in to speak.

"You also scared the living crap out of me, Maria and Bill," He began, cocking a thumb towards the inmates, "Not to mention the inmates."

"So what? They aren't in cradle-school, case you didn't notice..." Percy replied, directing his next words at Paul "Although you treat them that way half the time."

" We don't scare 'em any more than we have to, Percy." Brutal said, "They're under enough strain as it is."

"Men under strain can snap. Hurt themselves. Hurt others." Paul said, "That's why our job is talking, not yelling. You'll do better to think of this place like an intensive care ward in a hospital..."

"I think of it as a bucket of piss to drown rats in. That's all." Percy interrupted, scanning their faces, "Anybody doesn't like it can kiss my ass. How's that sit?"

Harry grabbed Maria's wrist when she was going to go for him, but Brutus got there first. He pinned him to the wall, Maria gasping at the utter strength of him. Percy, however kept his bravado up the best he could.

"Try it, go on," He goaded, "Try it. You'll be on the bread lines before the week's out."

"We all know who your connections are, Percy..." Paul began, stepping closer to Percy, "But you ever threaten a man on this block again, we're all gonna have a go. Job be damned."

"Big talk." Percy said sarcastically, "You done?"

"Get all this shit back in the restraint room." Paul ordered, "You're cluttering up my Mile."

With that, everyone turned to walk away, Harry rubbing Maria's back as the girl tried to calm down. After getting into the office, Maria sat down and took a quick drink of water, running her hands over her face.

"You alright?" Brutus asked, earning a shaky nod.

"I'm fine, thank you." She replied, Brutus chuckling when he saw how pale she was.

"Damn, he gave you a good fright, didn't he?"

"Yeah." Maria replied, eyes a little tearful as she laughed, "Yeah, he did."

-TBC-

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**Hope you enjoyed! **

**Thanks for the support so far!  
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**xxxxxxxxxxxxxx  
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